


The Task

by Willow555



Series: Short Story Challenge [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: BDSM, F/M, Fluff, Service Submission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 20:57:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6675208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow555/pseuds/Willow555
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Izzy loves being James' sub...but sometimes her brattiness gets her into trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Task

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 2: "A story about rising to a challenge"

_What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do?!_ Izzy's mind raced frantically. She didn't know what to do, but she knew that she didn't have much time to do it.

"Seriously, how could he do this to me?" She asked the empty air, as she stormed around her kitchen, trying to gather her thoughts and hoping the answer would magically appear in front of her.

It will be good for you. another part of her stated. "Oh, shut up you." She told it, knowing it was right. Izzy often argued with herself like this. And usually the little voice was right. It didn't mean she had to like it though.

Izzy sighed, and got to work, heading to her computer and pulling up a search engine.

She stared at the screen. And stared. And stared.

Grabbing her phone with a huff she dialed her best friend Elora.

"Hello?"

"Ellie!! I need your help!"

"Izzy? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Izzy grimaced. She knew Elora, she should have known better than to start any conversation like that. Her friend was a sweetheart, and was very protective. She also had the habit of jumping to worst possible conclusion.

"Sorry, yes everything's fine. It's a funny story. Or at least it will be once I get through it,"

"Okay," Elora said hesitantly.

"So, James and I were hanging out yesterday," Izzy began.

"Oh my gods, Izzy what did you do now?" Elora asked laughing.

"Hang on, why do you automatically assume I did something and that it's my fault?" Izzy asked her friend.

"Because I know you. You're the biggest brat in the world and funny story means you did something silly and not something stupid. Right? At least, that had better be what it means or else you'll be in big trouble for not calling me sooner!" Elora said, playfully putting authority into her voice.

"Yes ma'am," Izzy teased her friend.

Elora laughed. "So, what is it? What did you do this time?"

"Umm, well, we were playing, and I was being service-y and James was giving me tasks and when I was leaving he praised me and I stupidly opened my mouth and said 'Well, obviously I did well- it's not like you gave me anything hard to do.'"

Izzy heard the intake of breath. "Isabelle. You never, ever, EVER say that to your Dom. You know better! So, what's your hard task?"

"See, how come you could see exactly what would happen and I didn't? I'm his sub, shouldn't I know these things?"

"Sweetie, you're his brat. You do know these things, you just don't think of them soon enough because they get hidden behind your desire to get a rise out of him."

Izzy thought for a moment then laughed. "Yeah, you're right."

Elora laughed with her. "So? What do you have to do?"

"Well, he said that now that we've been together and I've been his sub for a while it was time to start inserting more of our dynamic into daily life. Which is totally just his excuse because I know neither of us actually wants anything remotely 24/7. It was one of the first things we talked about. So, he's just being a butt."

"Of course he is. He's almost as much of a brat as you are." Elora giggled.

"Ugh. You're so not wrong. So anyway, he uses his fake excuse and now I have to cook him a meal. Like, a full meal. Like with actual cooking. I don't cook! You all know this! Why would he do this to me?!" Izzy whined.

"Because you're both brats!" Elora replied. Far to enthusiastically for Izzy's liking.

"So, will you help me?" Izzy asked.

"Crap, just a sec sweetie, call coming in on the other line. Give me two minutes?"

"Of course!" Izzy stared at her search engine and tried to think while Elora had her on hold. She started looking up desserts because at least she knew she could handle that. Baking was where she excelled. It was the precision of everything that she liked. Cooking to her seemed almost sloppy in its "do it until it looks right" ways of describing things. Izzy had just found a strawberry shortbread that looked promising when she heard Elora's laugh once again floating through the phone line.

"What? Who was it?" Izzy asked.

"Oh, you're going to hate me." Elora started.

"Oh no. Please tell me that wasn't who I think it was." Izzy groaned, her hopeful feelings about her friend helping her starting to disappear.

"Then I won't tell you?" Elora said, and Izzy could just picture her cheeky grin. They were best friends, and sometimes took a little too much pleasure in seeing each other in trouble. Of course, if anything was ever actually wrong they'd be there for each other in a heartbeat, BDSM protocols be damned, but when it was trouble they had brought on themselves- well, you could say both girls had a bit of their own sadistic streak going.

"Ugh! Damn him knowing me so well." Izzy moaned. "What did he say? Exactly; be specific."

"Sorry darlin', there's no loophole here. He said I wasn't allowed to help you at all, other than to tell you to get back to it if you told me you were getting distracted." Elora said, and Izzy heard at least a little bit of sympathy in her voice.

"Yeah, but you don't have to listen to him. You're not bound to him at all! You could cheat." Izzy pleaded.

"True. If it was just him on the phone. Unfortunately, both our men know both of us far, far too well. Just as I hung up on James, Aaron sent me a text- saying I had to do what James said in regards to your task."

"You're kidding?!" Izzy laughed. "Sometimes I sincerely regret the fact that we all have each other's numbers."

"Not kidding, you're on your own love. And no you don't." Izzy could picture the smirk on her friend's face.

"No, I don't. But still. Wow...he really did think of everything this time. Damn. If I think of a way around this one can I call you back?" Izzy asked, not holding out much hope, but wanting to have her bases covered just in case.

"Of course! And either way, I want to know how it goes! Deep breath, you'll be fine. It's just like baking, you just have to watch it a little bit more. The internet is your friend. And if you need to call and vent I can do that. Just can't say anything." Elora chuckled.

"Thank hun. I'll talk to you later. If I don't poison myself trying to figure this out first!" Izzy sighed.

"Oh stop! You'll be fine! Besides, the point is that it's not meant to be easy. You know he's still gonna love that you tried. And admit it, you're loving the fact that he's challenging you." Elora poked fun at her friend.

"Oh shut up you! I need to text my Dom and tell him he's an ass. I'll talk to you later Miss Smarty-Pants! Love you!" Izzy smiled as she hung up the phone. Elora was, of course, right. She really did like the idea of James pushing her a bit. And she knew that no matter how it turned out he wouldn't actually hold it against her. The only reason she'd get in trouble was if she didn't try. So she was going to try. Partly to avoid punishment, but mostly because she did want to be able to do this- for James and herself. Cooking was kind of an important thing, and she needed to figure it out. Sooner, rather than later. Living on boxed meals and take-out and breakfast food wouldn't last her forever.

A familiar warmth blossomed in Izzy's chest as she pulled up James' number on her phone. He was helping her to be better, and she did the same for him. They really were good for each other, and in ways Izzy still wasn't used to it. Sometimes she hoped she never would be, because constantly being surprised with the 'warm fuzzies' was a nice feeling.

**You, Sir, are an asshole ;p** Izzy typed, hitting send. A lot of subs would be in trouble for talking to their Dom like that, but Izzy and James were all about fun. And their own individuality. They made it work for them and didn't care about anybody else's protocols or how things 'should' be. They did their thing and left other people to do their own. Different styles worked for different people. Izzy and James were quite happy with theirs.

**What did I do? ;)** came the reply, within just a few seconds.

**Oh please. I was on the phone with her when you called! If you had waited an extra two minutes we would've gotten away with it too!**

**Huh. It's almost like I know you or something ;)** Izzy growled at her phone when she read his answer. While internally glowing because damn, she loved this man.

**I hate you.** She sent, knowing James would know better.

**No you don't. Now, go figure out what you're cooking for dinner. Tomorrow, 5pm. You've got today to plan and shop and all day tomorrow to cook. Go get that research done.**

**Yes Sir.** Izzy typed, smiling to herself once again. James really was giving her a lot more time than necessary and now that she had worked though her initial panic at her task, she was starting to feel like at least she'd be able to try.

**Good girl <3** Izzy purred, reading the response. That phrase always sent a pleasurable chill down her spine. Izzy reveled in it only for a moment, then went back to work.

She printed out the recipe for the shortcake, then started thinking about the main meal. She had very little idea of what a good meal even was outside of the very basics, and she didn't want to be just basic. This was meant to be a hard task after all.

_Hosting a dinner party_ Izzy typed into the search engine.

The first website Izzy clicked on was all about decorations. That wasn't her problem.

It was funny, Izzy could do the presentation, she could do the hostessing thing, the only thing she couldn't do was the actual cooking. She sighed, clicking another two links that were the same information.

_Planning a meal for a dinner party_ she tried next.

The first couple results appeared on the screen and they looked promising. Izzy clicked the first website the popped up and began to read:

_The first thing you need to know when planning a meal is what you main protein is going to be. As with any type of endeavor you need to start with the base and build everything around that. When planning a meal, especially for a large group, it's best to use the protein as your base as this is likely to be the most important (and time consuming) part of the meal._

"Protein, protein," Izzy mumbled to herself. This itself was a challenge. Not because she didn't know what her options were, but more so because she wanted to think of something that they hadn't had in a while that would work for them both. Together they usually ate a lot of chicken. And Izzy wasn't a huge fan of red meat, so that left cooking a vegetarian dish, or fish. Izzy thought back- she and James had never eaten seafood with a shared meal, she was trying to remember if he liked it. Izzy started thinking about the times they had gone out for dinner, and- YES! She remembered James telling her about a fantastic fish and chips place near his home. Izzy couldn't remember why they had never made it there, but mentally made a note to ask him about it sometime soon. Maybe in a week or two after they had her meal.

Her meal. Gulp

Moving forward Izzy found that the website was mostly right. At least when it came to planning. Once she'd figured out her protein it was easy to build from there. Izzy wasn't ignorant about food itself, just how to make it. She decided to go for a simple ("Simple. Yeah right. Obviously they've never met me," Izzy had scoffed when she found the recipe) baked tilapia with a few seasonings, roasted potatoes, and a strawberry and spinach salad with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Once she had all the recipes, Izzy left for the grocery store.

**How's it going?** Elora texted as Izzy was roaming the aisles.

**Actually not too bad. Just finishing up my shopping now.** Izzy was pretty sure she had everything she needed. She navigated the crowd of shoppers and made her way to the check out.

**See? I knew you could do it!** came the enthusiastic reply.

**Pft. I haven't actually done anything yet! :p**

**You've got a plan. That's half the battle. You'll be fine.**

**Uh-huh. If you say so.** Izzy responded. She was confident in the theory of her plan; less so when it came to thinking about the execution of it.

**I know so <3**

Izzy smiled at her phone as the cashier scanned her items. Even if she couldn't directly help it was nice knowing Elora was in her corner.

Izzy used the remainder of her afternoon to tidy up around the house, making sure everything looked nice and was put away and clean.

***

The next afternoon saw Izzy once again frantically pacing. Her fish was in the oven, the salad was prepped, the potatoes were baking (she kept checking them every few minutes to make sure they weren't burning. She was pretty sure that would slow down the cooking time, but she'd rather be a little late than have to serve James burnt food!) and she was all dolled up in her favourite dress.

She'd even had time to do her nails and make-up! That wasn't ever something that James expected of her, it wasn't a rule or anything, but she enjoyed it. And so she took the opportunity whenever she could. Izzy liked dressing up for herself and for her Dom. James had simply come to accept it as a part of her and seemed to enjoy seeing her either way. Even on the days where Izzy didn't feel up to putting in the effort, or when she didn't have time, James never made her feel like he was expecting her to look prim and perfect all the time. He just liked seeing her. Plus, if it was a night when they were playing the make-up would be ruined by the end of it anyway. Which was the way Izzy liked it.

Izzy was checking the potatoes again when the doorbell rang. Slamming the oven shut Izzy rushed to open the door.

She was about to throw her arms around James (she was always excited to see him, even if it had only been a day or two) when she remembered that this night wasn't about that. Not yet anyway. Stepping back she adopted a more demure pose.

"Hello Sir. Thank you very much for coming over and giving me the opportunity to serve you tonight. Please come in. May I talk your coat?"

"Thank you Isabelle." Came the reply. They hadn't exactly negotiated this part, but Izzy was glad James was playing along. He knew she liked service and it wasn't something they got to engage in very often. James handed Izzy his jacket.

Izzy turned to the open closet and reached for a hanger. She could hear James taking off his shoes and stepping in from the doorway and she assumed he would go straight into her living room and make himself comfortable as he usually did when he came over.

Izzy was yanked back by a hand in her hair and almost dropped his jacket in her surprise. She caught herself just in time and only the quickening of her breathing gave away how much she was affected.

Of course, James knew exactly what the move did to her and leaned down to her ear. She heard him chuckle.

"I'm really looking forward to tonight, Kitten. And you look wonderful by the way." He growled the compliments in her ear then nipped her pulse point. Izzy's knees began to feel shaky as she fought her body against becoming a puddle on the floor. At least until after they had eaten.

"Thank you Sir," Izzy was breathless and the words came out as a barely audible whisper.

James chuckled again as he gave another sharp tug to her hair, then released her. Izzy took a deep breath to compose herself and finished hanging his jacket.

"Can I get you anything to drink Sir?" She called as she walked back into the kitchen, trying to regain her composure. After checking the oven once more Izzy picked up her phone and set her timer. If she was right, once it went off she could get the salad plated and then the fish and potatoes would be ready to serve as well.

When there was no response to her question Izzy turned to find James standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at her.

"What?" Izzy asked, feeling her cheeks flush. She always hated being stared at.

"You." James said simply.

"What do you mean me?" Izzy asked, letting a little bit of her brat come out in her tone. Izzy folded her arms in front of her chest and hugged herself. Protecting herself from her boyfriend's scrutiny. They were both aware Izzy had trouble trusting but it was moments like this that made them both remember how far she had come- and how far she still had to go.

"You're wonderful. You did all this on two days notice basically as a dare. A challenge where we both know you could have completely said no without consequence. Instead you took it seriously, did it well and managed to set up an entire protocol within two seconds of my getting here. I just want to marvel for a minute at how much I love you."

Izzy blinked. Then again. Taking a deep breath she turned back towards the oven, away from her lover and went to check on the food. In spite of just having done so.

"Isabelle." The word was so simple. He didn't say it in any particular tone, nor with any real inflection, but she understood it for the command it was.

Izzy sighed, straightened and faced her Dom, but kept her eyes on his chest, rather than daring to look at his face.

James silently pointed to the space in front of him and Izzy slowly walked towards him. She imagined if she was actually the Kitten she was named after both her ears and tail would have been lowered. Once stopped in front of James Izzy continued to refuse to meet his gaze.

Placing one finger under her chin James lifted her head, and held her eyes with his own.

Izzy shifted uncomfortably. "You can't praise me yet, you haven't tasted anything." she whispered.

"I don't need to. You did a wonderful job and even if it turns out to taste horrible you rose remarkably to the challenge and I'm proud of you." James leaned down and kissed her. Izzy melted into the kiss and tried to let go of the rest of her insecurities.

After a moment Izzy had to break the kiss, gently pushing James away from her. "If we don't stop it will definitely taste horrible" she laughed, stepping away.

"Mmmm, might be worth it," James said mischievously, swatting Izzy on her bottom as she turned away.

"Don't you dare!" Izzy warned. "I put way too much effort into this for us to ruin it because you weren't patient."

James laughed. "As if you weren't considering the same thing!"

"Of course I was Sir. But some of us have patience."

"Brat." James said affectionately.

Izzy giggled. The timer on her phone went off and she began to gather plates and silverware.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" James offered.

"No, Sir. But thank you. Please just take a seat and allow me to serve you." Izzy then switched from her formal demeanor to add, smirking "This part of the night is the one thing I've been looking forward to from the start. Well, the service and then maybe whatever happens after dinner."

James laughed again. His full laugh that only came out when he was truly comfortable and happy. "Fair enough."

Izzy took the fish and potatoes out of the oven and then arranged everything nicely on their plates. First she brought over their silverware, wrapped in napkins, then she brought James his plate. Setting it down before him she stole a quick kiss. "I hope you like it Sir."

Izzy then went to get her own plate and took her place at the table beside James.

She was eager to see for herself how her meal had turned out in the taste department. If she was simply judging it for looks though she thought she did fairly well. Nothing looked too crispy and Izzy definitely knew how to plate. If they were going on looks alone the meal was actually stunning.

James cut into his fish and let the steam rise off of it, letting it cool for a moment. He then looked at Izzy. "You didn't bring that plate here just so you could stare at it did you?" He asked her, a note of warning in his voice. They'd had some issues in the beginning of their relationship around Izzy's eating habits. Mostly the fact that James didn't like that Izzy frequently forgot to eat in favour of making sure everyone around her was taken care of.

Izzy smiled and ducked her head. She didn't like making James worry, but she also loved that he cared about her enough to notice the little things.  
"No Sir. I'm just waiting until you try it first." Izzy responded politely.

"Oh sure, so I have to be your guinea pig?" James teased.

"Ugh. Jerk! Here I am trying to be all respectful of protocol and you turn it on me! I just can't win!" Izzy teased back, pretending to be exasperated.

"Nope, you can't." James said with a smile.

Izzy laughed. She liked that they could switch in and out of scenes that way. So many people who practiced BDSM took it so seriously. Izzy could never do that. And she felt really blessed to have found someone else who didn't want that either.

"Eat." James commanded, picking up his fork.

Izzy picked up her own fork and stabbed a mouthful of salad, but still waited until James had taken his first bite before she took her own.

James gently kicked her under the table, telling her he noticed. Izzy simply smiled at him.

After a few bites Izzy dared to ask the question, "So? What do you think?"

James chewed thoughtfully. Then he sat quietly.

Izzy knew him well enough now to know that he liked making her squirm. So Izzy was patient. She ate her food quietly and promised herself she wouldn't give James the satisfaction.

But James also knew Izzy. He could outlast her any day if he just waited long enough. And there it was. Izzy started to gently tap her foot under the table.

Izzy knew as soon as her foot started moving that she had lost, but she still tried to keep up pretenses. She lasted another minute before she gave up completely.

"Okay, okay, you win! I'm anxiously waiting to hear what you think. Jerkface." Izzy added for good measure.

"Isabelle." James began, letting her name hang between them. "There is good news, and there is bad news. Which would you like first."

"Bad news? Is it horrible? I'm sorry. I could make us breakfast food." Izzy had tried her food and she thought it was pretty good actually, definitely something she would cook for herself more often, but tonight wasn't about her. She'd feel horrible if she had let James down.

James spoke quickly, seeing Izzy's eyes begin to glow with slight fear that she had actually done something wrong. James wondered when she would finally figure out how amazing she was. At the moment he was just glad he could be around to point it out when she forgot. "The bad news, for you, is that cooking is totally going to be one of your regular tasks from now on."

"So, you like it?"

"That would be the good news. It's wonderful Kitten. You did a great job and I'm so so proud of you. You definitely rose to the challenge." James said, squeezing her hand gently as he spoke.

"Thank you Sir." Izzy whispered.


End file.
